General
Although multiple space companies are progressing quickly, humans are still several decades away from a colony. Building and creating colonies open up all sorts of new challenges and problems. The gravity is different on Mars, so humans would have to get used to it. The atmosphere is not only much thinner, but it also consists mainly of carbon dioxide. So people would either have to grow plants or separate oxygen with water.
Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, planned to send an unmanned Starship to Mars by 2022. This seems a bit unrealistic to a lot of Scientists and even other companies. In early 2021, Starship is still in its prototype phase. Experts doubt that a manned SpaceX mission will take part between 2024 and 2026. According to diverse sources, a colony on the red planet is possible in the next 30 years. Depending on the progress and on new technology, humans might find themselves on mars by the 2040s.
Landing sites
As soon as we have the technology, we are going to Mars. The landing site of the crew will be just as critical as the development of the various rockets. Numerous factors need to be taken note of to define a safe place. The landing site should be close to some ice to get both oxygen and water from it. Of course, the sun could also be dangerous. Because of the thin atmosphere, UV rays can reach the surface of Mars much easier.
SpaceX has already determined an exact target area to land. It is the northeastern area near the Erebus Montes mountain range. This is about at 40° north latitude. On the map down below, you can find it near the Amazonis Planitia.
